At a Glance

Explore the forests and waterways of the Northwoods with your grandchild as you master outdoor skills on a memorable adventure. Learn to canoe into aquatic ecosystems, hike into the vast forested landscape, build a fire, and orient yourself with a map and compass. Study the world of raptors, create a “dream catcher,” make a leaf-printed t-shirt, view an awesome waterfall and much more.

Small Group

Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 10 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you'll ...

Make new friends as you work together completing a challenge course, testing your strength as a lumberjack, making plaster casts of animal tracks, and honing your archery accuracy.

Explore a northern quaking bog — an experience many equate to walking on a giant waterbed — and learn about the special plants and animals that reside in it.

Experience a canoe trip on the Manitowish River, a shallow watercourse where you can see the river bottom in most places.

General Notes

Program is for grandchildren ages 10-12.

Suggested Reading List

View 2 books

Graced by the Seasons: Spring and Summer in the Northwoods

by John Bates and Terry Daulton (Illustrated)

Graced by the Seasons: Spring and Summer serves as a "Volume 2" to A Northwoods Companion: Spring and Summer, and offers a detailed and fascinating picture of the orderly timing and progression of natural events written for people who want a deeper understanding of all of nature. The book is chock full of phenological highlights and is organized so the reader who wants to study nature's coming attractions or plan a northern vacation can anticipate what will be blooming, crawling, singing, migrating, or croaking in any particular month.

River Life

by John Bates and Terry Daulton (Illustrated)

Rivers are sacred places that resonate with sounds, smells, sensations, mysteries and beauty. River Life takes you on a guided exploration of the Manitowish River, a small river in northern Wisconsin. Packed with information, River Life examines current ecological studies, probes fur trader journals and archaeological surveys, and explores the author's personal observations to vividly describe the life of a northern river. Richly designed with 125 illustrations, diagrams, maps and tables, River Life introduces the science of stream ecology and brings it into the language and vision of the layperson. Canoeists, kayakers, birders, plant enthusiasts and all nature lovers will find this book thoroughly pleasurable and educational.

Evening: Orientation - Introductions to all participants. We will also do some icebreakers to help participants get to know each other a little better. There will be an orientation to the facilities and overview of the program logistics.

Morning: CHALLENGE COURSE - Challenge course is a teamwork building activity that will allow participants to get to learn more about, and be comfortable with each other for the rest the week. LOGGING HISTORY - The logging history of Wisconsin influenced the landscape and formation of cities and towns in the Northwoods. Learn about the lumberjacks of the late 1800's and test your strength and accuracy with lumberjack competitions.

Lunch: Lunch at 11:30 AM

Afternoon: ANIMAL TRACKS & PLASTER CASTS - Learning about animal tracks is a neat way to catch a glimpse into their lives. Participants will have the chance to make plaster casts of animal tracks that they can take home. ARCHERY - Archery is a life-long skill that is fun, requires good technique, and is an integral part of the economy of many Midwest states. Learn from certified instructors and become a better shooter. SURVIVAL SKILLS - Learning about and practicing the survival skill of making a fire is an opportunity to test yourself before you "need" the skills. Not only is this class a lot of fun, but it provides a good skill set for future outdoor endeavors.

Dinner: Dinner at 5:00 PM

Evening: CANOE LESSONS - Learning proper canoe techniques is crucial to be safe on the water. Proper entry/exit techniques, paddle strokes, along with other boat handling skills can help a person feel confident about being on a beautiful lake or river. Please bring closed-toed shoes for entering/exiting the canoe!

Morning: SYLVANIA WILDERNESS HIKE - We will explore some of the 20,000 acres of virgin timber forest. We'll visit at least one of the 34 named lakes in this amazing hemlock/hardwood forest. Hemlocks, sugar maples, and yellow birch of large size and in excess of 200 years old are common. There are many rules in place to maintain the area in its natural state now, and for future generations.

Lunch: We will be eating lunch on the shores of Clark Lake, a beautiful wilderness lake. Swimming is an optional activity as time allows, but participants must follow TFT swimming policy (see under "health and safety")

Afternoon: BOND FALLS - This is one of the most photographed waterfalls in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Participants will also briefly touch on water management; discussing how people affect water along with the positive and negative aspects of dams. CRITTER CATCHING - We are going to try our hand at catching some aquatic bugs, allowing us to get an idea of what the water quality of the water body is. This activity is not only a lot of fun, but also a very eye opening experience! NOTE: if particpants want to step into water to catch bugs, please make sure to have closed-toed shoes you can get wet.

Dinner: Dinner at 5:00 PM

Evening: DREAMCATCHERS - Try your hand at making an Ojibwe dreamcatcher. Traditionally, the Ojibwe construct dreamcatchers by tying sinew strands in a web around a small round or tear-shaped frame of willow. The resulting "dream-catcher", hung above the bed, is used as a charm to protect sleeping people, usually children, from nightmares. The Ojibwe believe that a dreamcatcher changes a person's dreams. Only good dreams would be allowed to filter through… Bad dreams would stay in the net, disappearing with the light of day. Good dreams would pass through and slide down the feathers to the sleeper. PUBLIC PROGRAM - Every summer, Trees For Tomorrow hosts programs on Tuesday night that are free and open to the public. The topics are quite varied with some examples including: bears, eagles, loons, raptors, elk, mushrooms, etc. Programs normally run about an hour long and are given by experts in their respective field.

Morning: COMPASS USE - Learning how to use a compass is a skill that can help a person feel more confident exploring the woods. Participants will have a chance to practice their skills on a course outside. RAPTORS - We will learn about the amazing world of hawks, falcons, eagles, and owls. During the lecture portion, we will discuss the features that define raptors, examine some adaptations that help them survive, look at their biology, and talk about some conservation measures to help them out. Trees For Tomorrow is fortunate enough to have education birds for participants to see these features up close on a live raptor!

Lunch: Lunch at 11:30 AM

Afternoon: GRANDCHILDREN AND GRANDPARENTS - T-SHIRT PRINTING - Grandchildren (and those interested grandparents) will have an opportunity to make their own stamped t-shirt. Participants are encouraged to bring their own t-shirt or cloth bag to decorate with plants and trees from the Northwoods. GRANDCHILDREN - AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES, CHALLENGE COURSE #2 - Learning about frogs, salamanders, turtles, and snakes is a lot of fun, especially when you get to have a live specimen in your hand. Trees For Tomorrow has 2 blue-spotted salamanders, a wood turtle, and 2 ball pythons for educational purposes. Challenge course will expand on what was done the first morning. It is a fun way to get to know fellow participants better and gain teamwork and problem solving skills. GRANDPARENTS: FRANKLIN LAKE NATURE TRAIL HIKE OR FREE TIME - To allow for a little time on their own, we will offer to take those interested folks to arguably one of the top nature trails in this area. Nestled in the heart of the Nicolet National Forest, this easy 1.5-mile hike weaves through multiple habitat types, provides views of 2 lakes, and has much plant life.

Dinner: Dinner at 5:00 PM

Evening: CANOE BAKER LAKE AND TAMARACK FLOWAGE - Evening is a great time to canoe with more gentle winds and cooler temperatures. Owls, loons, eagles, beaver, and a host of other animals can be found on this quiet paddle. Baker Lake is very representative of many lakes in this area. Additionally, there is a nice channel that allows access to another lake. There is very little boat traffic on this Northwoods gem! NOTE: have your closed toed shoes ready for this activity!

DAY

5

Manitowish River/ Bog Investigation /Wrap-up and Evaluations

Eagle River, WI

B,L,D

Lodge at Trees For Tomorrow

Breakfast: Breakfast at 7:30 AM

Morning: MANITOWISH RIVER CANOE - Canoeing the "playful spirit" river is just that, tons of fun. It has a sandy bottom and is quite shallow, meaning you can see the river bottom in most places. Belted kingfishers, otters, eagles, green frogs, and many beautiful aquatic plants can be found. NOTE: have your closed toed shoes ready for this activity!

Afternoon: BOG INVESTIGATION - Vilas County is home to over 1300 glacially created lakes. When conditions are right, certain plants begin to grow out into the lake. These plants form a dense root network that allow us to walk on them. The waterbed-like feel of a northern quaking bog is a memorable experience for many participants. While out there, we will examine the many unique plants that call this area home. The carnivorous pitcher plant, sphagnum moss, leatherleaf, labrador tea, black spruce and tamarack are some of the plants and trees we'll expect to see. NOTE: TFT will provide bog boots

Dinner: Dinner at 5:00 PM

Evening: PROGRAM WRAP-UP AND EVALUATIONS - We will show a slideshow of pictures taken while at this program. Later, enjoy a TFT-staff led campfire!

DAY

6

Depart

Eagle River, WI

B

Breakfast: Breakfast at 7:00 AM

Morning: DEPART - Safe travels and thanks for coming to Trees For Tomorrow.

Meals

14 Meals

5 Breakfasts

4 Lunches

5 Dinners

The following choices may be available when requested in advance: Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Salt

Lodging

Lodgings may differ by date. Select a date to see the lodgings specific to that date.

Trees For Tomorrow (TFT) started in 1944 to help reforestation efforts in northern Wisconsin. Initially, Trees For Tomorrow was focused on giving out free tree seedlings and assisting with forest management. Once the reforestation effort was largely completed, TFT shifted more toward education. Today TFT is an accredited Natural Resources Specialty school that focuses on educating students, teachers, and other adults about the wise use and management of natural resources. The campus is located on about 30 acres with an interpretative walking trail within it.

This was our first intergenerational program, and won't be our last. We had 2 cousins aged 9 for this trip. They were the youngest, but no problem. The archery, canoeing, dream catcher making, fire making, raptor lecture, bat lecture, obstacle challenge course, compass course, and other too numerous to list kept is active and in learning mode. Then Kim provided us with photos of the whole week at closing. Great effort!!